Don’t Get Comfortable

Okay.  I admit it.  These are my favorite shoes.  I’ve worn them all through the fall, winter and now the spring.  And last year I wore the same shoes, but a different pair.  They were so comfortable that when they started to wear out I went to the store hoping that they would still have them.  And they did!  What a happy day!

And now this new pair looks worn out, but they are sooo comfortable.  I will say that I have nice shoes when I need to look nice, but these shoes are my favorite and even though they’re getting kind-of embarrassing to wear, I still wear them because, well, you know, they’re comfortable.

Which makes me think, what else am I getting comfortable with?  I know I should get rid of these shoes for good, but they’re so comfy.  And after all, they’re just shoes.  But are there things in my life that maybe I’ve gotten too comfortable with – like with this pair of shoes?  Are there things in your life?

It’s a good question to think about.  It’s nice to be comfy, but what if God is calling you to give up something like a bad attitude or to do something new that may not be so comfortable?

A lot of the things that I’ve done have not been so comfortable.  Like when I agreed to lead worship for children and I showed up to find 350 children gathered in front of me and a microphone.  That turned out to be one of the most fun things I’ve done.  Definitely not comfortable, but fun.  And I think that’s the point.  When we’re not comfortable, we have to count on God to work through us.  We have to remember every moment that God promised to never leave us and that He will help us.  And we learn to trust the Holy Spirit to comfort us and give us courage.  And that is the best thing about serving God.  Watching what He does through us when we are definitely not comfortable, but willing to serve Him and do our best.

So as the weather warms up here, it’s about time to get rid of my comfortable shoes that I have enjoyed wearing for so many months.  Why is that so hard to do?  I will say, though, that I’m looking forward to wearing sandals and flip flops.  Shoes that are cute AND comfortable.  I am so ready for that!

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

You know how you can read a passage of Scripture a hundred times and learn something new each of those times?  Well, the kids that I teach ask really good questions so I like to anticipate their questions and study more than just the lesson.  And I learned something really neat that every parent will appreciate.

The lesson this time was about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  I knew that when these teenagers arrived in Babylon from Judah that they were given new names, but I hadn’t noticed before what those names meant.  Or what their original names had meant.  This is what’s really neat.  Their parents gave them names that had to do with God, the one true God, which means that their parents were probably teaching them about God and encouraging them to follow Him.  We know that these young men knew the one true God.  Here are the names that their parents gave them:

Hananiah:  Yahweh is gracious.

Mishael:  Who is what God is?

Azariah:  Yahweh is a helper.

Now look at their names given to them in Babylon:

Shadrach:  I am very fearful of God or Command of Aku (the moon god).

Meshach:  I am of little account or Who is like Aku?

Abednego:  Servant of the shining one (Nebo, a Babylonian god).

The leaders of Babylon must have wanted these young men to forget their God and worship the false gods of Babylon, but would they?  No.  Even when persecuted by being thrown into a very hot, fiery furnace made for baking bricks, they still stood up for God.  They said that no matter what would happen, they would worship only the one true God.  Go Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego!

Here’s what is really neat to me.  (Well, besides the whole amazing true story.)  Sometimes we as parents can wonder if our children are listening to us, but we can know that they are.  We can teach our children about God, train them in godly ways and encourage them to live for God and to stand up for Him.  And when we need to let them go we can continue to pray for them.  I’m sure the parents of those three teenagers were praying for their sons while they were in Babylon.  And just like in Babylon, when our culture encourages our kids to forget about their God and choose the ways of the world, they will have the courage to choose to trust God to help them as they stand up for Him and for what is right.  Just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

* The name information is from the ESV Study Bible.

Faith, Hope and… Tulips!

In case anyone was wondering after my previous post (http://lorischulz.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/hope/), my tulips have bloomed!  It took longer than I expected, but they are wonderful!

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see,” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV).

Hope

I remember when I planted these tulips a few years ago.  I went out with my trowel and dug down deep into the ground.  Then I placed the bulbs in and covered them up with dirt.  That was in the fall.  Then I waited several months for spring to come.  Would the tulips grow?  They did!  And now a few springs later I watched again as the green leaves poked through the dirt and then grew taller.  And soon I will see the bright colored tulips again!

It was a lot of work way back in that fall.  And a lot of waiting.  But I know I will see those beautiful tulips very soon!

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see,” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV).

Got Worries?

Have you ever worried?  Did you know that kids worry?

Children’s Ministry Magazine recently shared a statement from The Washington Post about kids and stress.  It said, “Your kids may benefit from a lesson on worry.  Stress is the leading reason 10-15 percent of school-aged children now need medical attention for stomach pain,” (March/April 2013).  I agree that kids could benefit from a lesson on worry.  Many children have told me about things that they are worried about, from rain storms to school fire drills to parents arguing.  Children do worry.  And so do we.  So what do we do when we worry?

Well, anytime we don’t know what to do, we can look to God.  And, guess what?  God has a lot to say about worry in His Word, the Bible!

When I spoke about worry to a group of children at a Christian school chapel, I brought a special little friend with me.  A small Play-Doh person.  We decided that our Play-Doh person seemed happy and joyful.  But then we imagined that our Play-Doh friend was our age and we shared things that we worry about.  As each worry was shared, our Play-Doh friend was pressed down more and more until it was all pressed down flat from worry.  Our Play-Doh friend didn’t seem so joyful anymore.  When you  have things that you are worried about, do you feel pressed down flat like that?  That’s not how God wants us to live.  He wants us to have joy and know that He cares about us.  So what should we do when we worry?

The Bible has a lot to say about worry, but I like the verse in 1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your cares and worries to God because He cares about you,” (NLT).  So when we worry, we should give our worries to God because He cares about us.  Did you know that God cares about you?  He created the whole world just by speaking.  He made the planets, the sun, the stars, the flowers, the puppies.  And He made you!  Since God made you, He cares about you.  In fact, God cares about you so much that He even knows how many hairs are on your head!  This morning when you combed your hair, did you count the hairs on your head?  No?  Why not?  Okay, I didn’t either.  I really don’t care how many hairs are on my head, but God does.  He even cares about things about me that really aren’t that big of a deal.  Can you imagine how much He cares about the things that really do matter to you?  He cares a lot!

So we know God cares about us, but how do we give Him our cares and worries?

First, let’s think of ways that we tend to give God our worries.  One thing we tend to do is to say, “God, I’m worried about this and I know you care about me, but, well, I’m not sure that you can really take care of this.  I’m just going to keep holding onto this worry.”  That’s like giving our worries to God in the same way that we play with a yo-yo.  We start to give it away, but we hold onto it with a string and keep bringing it back to us.  That’s not how God wants us to give Him our worries.

Here’s another way that we tend to give God our worries.  We say, “God, I know you care about me and I’m worried about this, but, God, this is a really big worry and I don’t think you can handle this one so I’m going to keep worrying about this and handle this one on my own.”  When we do that, it’s like we’re giving our worries to God in the way that we play with a boomerang.  If I take my boomerang toy to the park and throw it, it will come back to me.  When we give our worries to God, but don’t trust Him to take care of us, our worries come back to us, too.  Did you know that God is a really big God?  He is!  He keeps all of the stars in place in the sky and He can take care of you!

So here is how we should give our worries to God.  Like a hot potato.  If you pick up a hot potato, you will put it down very quickly or your hands will hurt!  And you won’t pick up a hot potato again.  You will leave it alone and not touch it.  That is how God wants us to give our worries to Him.  He wants us to remember that He cares about us and to tell Him our worries and trust Him to take care of us.

And then, when we do that, we will have joy because we will know that God cares about us.

Are you feeling pressed down flat with worry today?  Give God your cares and worries because He cares about you!

*Note:  The Play-Doh idea came from The Hands-On Bible.  The yo-yo, boomerang and hot potato idea came from notes that I wrote in my Bible a long time ago from a book, but I don’t remember which one.  I’m sorry to whoever I am not crediting for that!

You Could Be A Hero!

Did you know that you could be someone’s hero and you don’t even know it?

Recently I found out that two of my Good News Club children wrote about me for their hero assignment in school.  If you’re a Bible teacher, than you understand how fun this is.  We don’t teach in order to get things like recognition, money or our pictures on Wheaties boxes.  In fact, it costs money to lead a Good News Club and to do many things in ministry and often in ministry no one says, “Thank you.”  It doesn’t matter though, because we teach because we feel called by God.  And we get to teach from God’s Word.  What could be more exciting than that?  However, when parents and children let us know that what we are doing is making a difference in the lives of those that we teach, that is such a blessing!

So this winter I was excited to find out that two of my kids in club wrote about me for their hero assignment at school.  They had to draw a picture of their hero and put that on the cover of a Wheaties box of cereal and then put their story on the back of the cereal box.  I’ve never had my picture on a Wheaties box before and now it is on two!  (Haha.  Don’t go looking for them in your store.  They’re not real Wheaties boxes.)  The really neat thing about this is not that they wrote about me, but that these boxes were displayed in the school where people could find out about Good News Club and our amazing God.  Now that is very cool!

So are you wondering what makes a hero to children?  Want to know what is important in children’s ministry?  Here are some of the things that they wrote:

“Mrs. Lori has a kind heart.  When we come into Good News Club we get a tasty snack.  When we are stuck on something or don’t know what the answer is she will help us.  After Good News Club is over Mrs. Lori lets us pick from a million books.  And she is kinder than my brother and sister and trust me they are kind.”

“We do athletic stuff like parachute and Duck, Duck, Goose.  If you searched up most athletic person there would be a picture of Mrs. Lori on there.”

“She knows everyone’s name every day.”

“She is smarter than Albert Einstein.  She knows every word in the book that we read.  Mrs. Lori knows what to say when she is up to talk.  If she wasn’t smart we would be dumb when it comes to God.”  (My note:  That book that we read is the Bible.  Both of the children drew it on their Wheaties boxes!)

“Mrs. Lori is friendly.  She is always fair and doesn’t leave anybody out.  When hurt she will always help you.”

“She helps kids when they don’t know what to do.”

“She’s nice to the other people on the Good News Club Team.”

“She’s intelligent.  She knows every word in the stories.  She can say every kid’s name and tell every kid about God.”

“She always puts God first.”

I think it’s fun to see what is important to the children that we minister to.  It seems that things like knowing their names, being kind and friendly, knowing the Bible lessons well, playing fun games and having tasty snacks are important to these kids.  With God’s help, I can keep doing that.

I’m still amazed that God has called me to be a part of teaching children and leading them to know Him.  What a fun task!  And who knows?  You may be a hero today and you don’t even know it.

The thing that I’m really excited about is that what these kids really see in me is Jesus, and He is the real hero!

Candles

Do you like candles?  Maybe decorative candles?  Birthday candles?  What about candles that aren’t really candles at all?

The other day I was eating in a restaurant that had candles on the tables.  But there was something different about these candles.  They weren’t real.  They looked real, but they were not real.  They were fake.  Inside the votive cover was a plastic flame with an on/off switch on the bottom of it.  Have you seen those?  They look so real through the votive holder, but inside they are just plastic-covered flickering lights.  And they don’t even get warm.

That made me think about real candles.  Real candles have real flames that get hot.  In fact, they get so hot that as they burn the wax from the candle melts.  You can even use a real candle to light other candles.  And if you’re not careful, real candles can start a fire.  Because they’re not fake.  They are real candles with real burning fire.

So I have a question for you.  If you were like one of these candles today, which one would you be like?  Are you like that plastic candle that looks really neat, but isn’t really flickering with real fire?  Or are you like a real candle that is burning hot with a flame that could start other candles on fire?

I want to be like the real candle.  I think as we spend time getting to know God more every day we become like a real candle.  John 8:12 says this, “He (Jesus) said, ‘I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life,’” (NIV).  When we believe in Jesus as our Savior, then we have the light of life.  As we continue to walk with Him, we will reflect His light.  Acts 13:47 says this, “For this is what the Lord has commanded us:  ’I have made you a light…that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth,’” (NIV).  Do you have the light of life?  Is your fire spreading to others?  We have been commanded to tell the good news and we can do that through the way that we live and the words that we say – in the way that we shine like real candles.

Maybe you are feeling like that restaurant candle today, the one with the pretend flame.  Maybe you go to church or even call yourself a Christian, but you’ve never made the decision to believe in Jesus as your Savior.  You can do that today!  Or maybe you decided to believe in Jesus as your Savior, but you haven’t been taking time to really know Him.  You can do that by reading the Bible, talking with God, spending time with other believers and also by telling other people about what God has done for you.  That restaurant candle looked neat on the table, but it just didn’t have real fire.  You don’t have to be like that.

I have to admit that the restaurant candle was interesting for a while, but I want the real thing.  I want to be like a real candle with a real flame that burns.  I want my heart to burn with the love of Jesus in such a way that I will be the hands and feet of Jesus to others, to do my part in bringing salvation to the ends of the earth.  Paul wrote this in 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us,” (NIV).

Let’s be like real candles today, shining with the light and love of Jesus in our hearts so that others will know the light of the glory of God.

He is Risen!

“…that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:3b-4 ESV).

Happy Easter to you all!  Chris Tomlin’s song, “Jesus, Son of God,” is a perfect song for Easter so here it is:

Communication Mishap

Have you ever told someone something and then later found out that they completely misunderstood you?  Have you had a communication mishap?

I know I’ve shared my apples story here before, but I was thinking about that communication mishap again as I prepared for a bridal shower that I was giving.  You see, my family has a tradition that we started years ago on Saturday mornings.  Over the years we have had busy seasons and days when it didn’t work, but usually on Saturday mornings we have time to make breakfast and eat together.  Since we have only one child at home now, he usually gets to choose what we make.

Well, the other day I asked him what he wanted for breakfast and I heard him say “apples.”  I thought that was kind-of odd because he usually asks for pancakes or waffles, but I figured he just wanted apples that morning.  And I have to admit, I was disappointed because I was hoping for waffles.  But I cut up an apple and set it on the table in front of him.  Then my husband came in and asked him why he had an apple and he said, “I don’t know.”  So I said, “You asked for apples.”  And he said, “No, I asked for waffles.”  Then I said, “Oh, I thought you said ‘apples.’”  So then we all laughed, ate some apple slices and I started making waffles for breakfast.  And everything was fine.  In fact, since then they have been calling our Saturday morning waffles “apples.”

But what if I hadn’t found out that my son had really said waffles?  He would have eaten the apple and gone on with his day probably sad that I gave him apples and confused because he knew what he had said and he expected me to hear what he had said.  And I would have been disappointed because I had wanted to have waffles for breakfast.  Instead of our quickly resolved communication mishap, we could have had a very confused boy and a disappointed mom.

The problem with that kind of communication mishap is that it also happens in marriage.  We may not say waffles and apples, but we do say that we love each other.  The other day I was reading in Philippians and came across this verse about love.  It is Philippians 1:9, “And this is my prayer:  that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight” (NIV).  Paul was writing this to the believers in Philippi, but it is good for all believers, and especially married couples.  We want our love for each other to abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.  But how do we do that?

One way is to learn how to communicate with each other in ways that we each understand so that when we say “waffles” – or “I love you,” our spouse will hear “waffles” – or “I love you,” not something else like “apples.”  Gary Chapman explains this in his book, “The Five Love Languages.”  He states that there are five love languages and that we tend to speak our own love language.  The problem with that is that our spouse may not speak our love language.  They may speak one of the other love languages.  So when we speak our love language to our spouse, if that’s not their love language, they don’t hear “I love you,” they hear something else like “apples.”  But they want to hear “I love you” because apples don’t really mean much.  So it’s important to know what our own love language is and also to find out what our spouse’s love language is.  Here is the list of the five love languages that Chapman writes about:  Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time and Physical Touch.

If Words of Affirmation is your spouse’s love language, then they like to hear words of praise and appreciation so tell them that you appreciate specific things that they do.  If Acts of Service is their love language, then your actions will mean more than your words to them so do things that help them out, like refilling their glass of Mountain Dew.  If Receiving Gifts is important to your spouse, then be sure to remember their birthday, Christmas, your anniversary and also some “no occasion” days.  Now don’t go overboard on your gifts.  They will probably be very happy with some of those 99-cent cards from the grocery store.  Quality Time may be your spouse’s love language.  If it is, then take time to give them your undivided attention.  Turn off the TV, put down the newspaper and spend some time talking and interacting with each other.  And the last one, Physical Touch.  If that’s their love language, then reach out and touch them.  They will enjoy holding hands with you.

So just like Paul prayed for the Philippian believers that their love would abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, our marriages also can grow as we learn to speak love to our spouse in the ways that they hear love.  Then when we say or do things that say “I love you” they will hear “I love you” and not “apples.”  Because we don’t want to be confused or disappointed through communication mishaps.

**  Here is the link to my original apples and waffles story:  lorischulz.wordpress.com/2012/10/14/wanting-waffles-and-getting-apples/

Easter is Coming!

Easter is a great time to celebrate the good news of Jesus and here’s a video that explains what it’s all about!